The early autumn continues to bring us gorgeous watermelons and heirloom tomatoes in southern California. The perfect ingredients to create a soup that is as tasty as it is healing. Perfect if you’re on a raw food cleanse. It’s very high in cancer preventing lycopene and the flavor is simply fantastic. I taught this at my Brooklyn Kitchen classes and everyone raved about how much they loved it. If you’re cleansing you can skip the sea salt and if you want a richer soup add a tablespoon or two of good quality extra virgin olive oil to the base.

Serves about 6 to 8

For the Base

4 cups watermelon, chopped

1 small red heirloom or Roma tomato, seeded, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh spearmint

2 tablespoons fresh basil

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 small clove garlic

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

For the Add ins

1 1/2 cups multi colored heirloom or Roma tomatoes, seeded, diced

1 1/2 cups watermelon, diced

2 tablespoons fresh spearmint

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced

1/2 cup white onions, diced

Instructions:
1. Place 4 cups of the watermelon in a blender along with the tomato, spearmint, basil, lime juice, vinegar, garlic and sea salt and blend until smooth.
2. Transfer the puree to a large bowl. Add diced tomatoes, watermelon cucumbers and onions and stir to combine.
3. Chill for 1-2 hours before serving.
4. Will last two days in the refrigerator.